


Warmth and Love

by Noteventhat (Facialteeth)



Category: The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Absent Robert Lightwood, Alec Lightwood-centric, Alec's birthday, Baby Alec Lightwood, Family Fluff, Ficlet, Gen, Good Parent Maryse Lightwood, Happy, Maryse's POV, Stillborn Scare, alecsbdayweekwendcelebration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:15:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26406346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Facialteeth/pseuds/Noteventhat
Summary: When Maryse imagined going into labor for the first time, she imagined a couple of things that ended up not happening. She imagined that her husband would be there, that she'd go into labor some bright sunny morning and of course, that her baby would come into the world breathing.Nothing went exactly how she planned but in the end, Maryse had the only thing she needed. Her baby.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Maryse Lightwood
Comments: 2
Kudos: 52





	Warmth and Love

**Author's Note:**

> This was posted on tumblr [here](https://facialteeth.tumblr.com/post/628969723434090496/a-drabble-for-the-alecsbdayweekwendcelebration) for the 'alecsbdayweekwendcelebration' event.

When Maryse had imagined giving birth for the first time, she imagined a couple of things that ended up not happening. She imagined that she’d go into labor one bright sunny morning, after she’d woken, stretched and already had her coffee. She imagined that her husband would be at her side the entire time and she imagined that after all the pushing, her baby would come into the world screaming or at the very least, breathing on it’s own.

For a while, she’d also imagined she’d have a girl but she wasn’t disappointed when that turned out to not be true. How could she be disappointed when she was shaking, her body covered in sweat and the angel knows what else, breathlessly looking for her child who was silent. Maryse had never seen someone give birth before but she knew enough. She knew enough to know that babies came into the world screaming and the ones who didn’t most often didn’t come into the world at all.

Robert wasn’t there with her as she sat terrified, listening only to the sound of the people rushing to the other side of the room with her baby who did not look the right color when Maryse caught a glimpse of him. It wasn’t a bright, sunny morning either. Maryse had gone into labor in the middle of the night. She’d left in a panic with none of the stuff she’d been prepared to bring with her. Since the moment she woke up in a puddle of water from her own body, she’d felt like she was stepping into a day that was not supposed to happen.

None of it was supposed to happen like this. She wasn’t even due for another week and as Maryse let her head fall back, listening to the sound of her own harsh breath, she wished she could restart the day differently somehow. If she’d just gone into labor a week from now, like she was supposed to, things could have gone so differently. Robert would have been there. Maybe, it would have been morning and it would have happened after she’d had her coffee and not in the middle of the night, leaving Maryse to look out the window and only see darkness around her.

A wet slapping sound filled the room suddenly and when Maryse looked over, she could see that someone was holding her baby upside down, two people alternating from trying to suck anything that was there out of his throat and patting his back, trying to get his still lungs to kick start into action.

Her baby was blue. Maryse knew that her baby was not going to start breathing, no matter how many times they tried to clear his throat or pat his back. Maryse knew that her baby was dead the moment he came out of her into the world.

That’s why Maryse didn’t believe what she was hearing, when she heard his tiny lungs suck in a breath and then the sound of his throat, screaming for the first time. Everyone in the room relaxed, releasing some tension that Maryse hadn’t even been aware was real to anyone but her. Someone was moving, grabbing a blanket to wrap her baby in but even when they did, her baby wasn’t soothed. He screamed and screamed, his tiny face scrunched up, his hands curling and uncurling, like he was trying to make up for lost time and make sure everyone knew he was there.

It was only when he was finally handed over to Maryse that he quieted. His fingers wrapped around a single one of her’s, clenching softly on it every once in a while like he just wanted to make sure she was still there. He was dark still. His face was almost purple as he curled into Maryse’s arms but it was clear he was breathing now and his skin had started to brighten with it.

An hour later, his bright blue eyes cracked open for the first time. The first thing he ever saw was his mom staring down at him. He didn’t know what love meant. He did know anything, except the feeling of his mother’s skin on his and her finger in his palm. He didn’t know where they were or what he was or anything about the harsh world he’d been born into. He didn’t even have a name yet but it was Alec Lightwood’s birthday and in those quiet hours before her husband finally came, Maryse clutched her baby close and she showed him what it felt like to be loved and cherished. For the first few hours of his life, Alec didn’t know anything else.


End file.
